Something deep inside is happening. I can feel it growing in my stomach as it softly calls out that it is settled and at ease. My vision clears and the pressure on my eyes and head washes away leaving my focus strengthened on the task at hand. My nerves settle and any anxiety is replaced with comfort and peace. It feels good, it feels right, it feels like Im coming back together, once again balanced and as one. 10 minutes ago I took an insulin injection and its beginning to take its effect. This feeling is uniquely one that a person with diabetes would feel. The other 85% of the worlds bodies dont give large boluses of insulin to cover a sugary snack or to cover a normal morning basal injection. This is the feeling of almost 100 years of innovation and expertise cumulating in some simple calculations, some fine tuned body awareness, a simple injection, and some luck… Do I feel ostracized for this feeling? Not in the least, because it gives me comfort knowing that this condition is completely under my control. This is what it feels like to thrive with diabetes. More than 80% of the almost 400 million people with diabetes live in low and moderate income countries where a life like the one I just described is a luxury only available to a few. Life expectancy for a child in Sub-Saharan Africa can be as low as one year, while in Mozambique diabetes treatments can cost as much as 75% of a persons yearly income. Even here in the United States the cure that seems to be perpetually 10 years away, is estimated to be out of the price range of most Americans because of the flawed medical system we are currently a part of. I support the 100 Campaign in its effort to change this system to improve peoples access to life saving medicine so that people everywhere are allowed a chance to thrive, not just those who can afford to. Thank you Chris for your support, and for sharing your experiences with #access2insulin! Feel inspired? Empathetic? Outraged? Share your voice with us today: 100campaign.org/100-voices/ vimeo/107898502
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 17:26:31 +0000